How every Premier League season would have finished after gameweek 29: 2006-07

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 01 May 2020

Given the uncertainty over the resumption of the Premier League, Sports Mole looks at how the 2006-07 season would have ended after gameweek 29.

With the coronavirus pandemic having wreaked havoc across the sporting calendar for the forseeable future, the remainder of the Premier League season has been left shrouded in uncertainty as the virus sweeps across the globe.

Liverpool looked on course to end their 30-year wait for a top-flight title before the league's postponement, and while there is still hope that the 2019-20 season can reach a conclusion, teams are left anxiously waiting as to whether they will be able to take to the pitch again anytime soon.

Some top European leagues have already made the decision to end their campaigns, namely the Eredivise and Ligue 1, but what would have happened if the 2006-07 Premier League season finished after gameweek 29?

Manchester United lift the 2006-07 Premier League title on May 13, 2007 © Reuters

Having been forced to watch Jose Mourinho's Chelsea assert their dominance over English football for the previous two seasons, Manchester United reclaimed the Premier League title in 2007 with 89 points compared to Chelsea's 83.

Interestingly, Sir Alex Ferguson's side also boasted a six-point lead over the Blues at the gameweek 29 stage, 72 to 66, although the story could have been entirely different had Chelsea not drawn their final five matches.

There would be no repeat of that historic night in Istanbul for Liverpool during the 2006-07 Champions League, as they succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to old foes AC Milan in the Athens final.

However, Liverpool did manage to pip Arsenal to third place in the Premier League on goal difference, with both teams sitting on 68 points by the end of the campaign.

Arsene Wenger's side were in a strong position to claim third place after gameweek 29, but a poor record of three wins from their final 10 matches saw them drop down to fourth.

The rivalry between the two north London sides is a much closer affair now, although Tottenham Hotspur managed to climb from eighth to fifth during the final two months, eventually finishing eight points behind Arsenal.

Spurs' resurgence saw Bolton Wanderers slip from fifth to seventh by the end of the season, as they picked up a mere two wins from their final nine contests, and Reading also dropped out of a European spot to finish eighth in their maiden Premier League campaign.

But arguably the story of the season was West Ham United's great escape from the relegation zone. The Hammers found themselves rock bottom of the table after gameweek 29, but the controversial signings of Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez saw Alan Curbishley's men miraculously rise five places to finish the season in 15th.

Four wins from their last five fixtures secured West Ham's status as a top-flight club, including that 1-0 victory at Old Trafford on the final day of the season.

As a result, Watford dropped down to 20th and Charlton Athletic placed 19th, although both teams were already in the relegation zone by gameweek 29.

Sheffield United occupied the final spot in the bottom three as they made a swift return to the Championship, with Wigan Athletic surviving only on goal difference.